Ford Mondeo first drive review

Does the long-awaited new mid-sizer live up to the blue oval's hype?

Ford Mondeo first drive review

What is the new Mondeo like? Well, a lot like a Mondeo, really, but better.

The new one looks more sleek and contemporary, with the beady Aston-Martin-esque nose favoured by current Fords. But it could only be a Mondeo, especially from the rear.

The cabin has that same-but-different quality to it, too. The old Mondeo packed vast space but was a bit stuffy and rough around the edges. The new one seems even bigger inside and – slightly limiting rear headroom aside – it's hard to see any occupant getting grumpy about real estate. The boot is huge, if not that deep, and almost a bedroom with the back seats folded.

In addition to the spec, tech and safety advances detailed elsewhere, the cabin is more contemporary and even daring in places (like the floating centre console). It has the mandatory touch-screen infotainment system, plentiful storage and those who bristle at indicators on the left will be pleased to find them on the right.

Forward vision seems to be better, too, but you're again sitting low in a large, high-silled body with slot-like rear-vision qualities. The Mondeo can be hard to manoeuvre in tight spaces, so you'll want one with the newly introduced reversing camera.

What the cabin doesn't quite manage is a high-quality impression, and there are niggles. The silver trim that caps the upper centre console looks decidedly low-rent and some other plastics are less than lush. Ford's generic touchscreen system is a model of logic but finicky with its small on-screen buttons. The driver's seat, despite locating and supporting the body well, couldn't be adjusted low enough for this tester's taste.

An even-handed balance between ride and handling was one of the old Mondeo's tempters and the new one also has this in its artillery.

The ride blots most bumps and broken surfaces with a detached grace. While not hyperactively responsive in the way it steers, it dives into corners with real authority, seems to stay flatter than the old model and its poised, surefooted balance doesn't wither over big bumps.

We drove a petrol Trend model with the higher output of the two 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder 'Ecoboost' engines in the catalogue. It turns out useful low-rev response, is really cranking along by the time 4000rpm is showing on the tacho and spins very sweetly in its upper ranges. Hooked up to a traditional six-speed auto, it delivers strong, smooth and unobtrusive performance with none of the off-the-line hysterics of some dual-clutch alternatives.

We didn't have the time to perform fuel-economy tests but indications from our car's trip computer (11.8L/100km after a short loop of twisting roads, highways and urban stop-start running) weren't encouraging.

The most powerful petrol Mondeo, then, might not be all it needs to be on the economy front in 2015, even before you get to its lack of a fuel-saving auto stop/start function.